Tma Essay Example for Free

Tma Essay People, being naturally inquisitive, have often been referred to as scientists. Even as young children, people are constantly testing and evaluating the boundaries to decipher their own social environment and quickly recognise what is acceptable and what is not. This soon evolves into intuition and whether it is constructed in a logical and rational way depends on a number factors. However, when considering cognitive psychology and the information processing that underpins judgements and risks, peoples cognitive processes are often likened to computers in the way that these processes interact. This essay begins by looking at Fritz Heider (1944, as cited in Buchanan et al. , p. 60) an influential psychologist in this area who coined the phrase naive psychology. It then progresses onto the advantages and disadvantages of the attribution theories using Kelleys covariation method and MacArthurs vignettes to test the theory. This is followed by looking into optimistic bias and whether this bias can prevent people from constructing rational and logical theories when making sense of their social environment. Finally, the essay evaluates the HIV/AIDs and smoking progression and how people can conceptualise risk, resulting in laying blame elsewhere other than in their social group. Heider was one of the first psychologists to study in detail social cognition. He believed that delving into how people made sense of their social environments was fundamental in understanding social behaviours, he believed people actively built models of cause and effect to find predictability and regularity which would help control their lives, operating like naive psychologists. Heider also believed people used this method when people perceive others and their actions. He constructed a study using animated cartoons of moving shapes consisting of a circle, a box and a rectangle. When asked to describe what they saw, all but one of the participants described the shapes movement in terms of human action. The fact that these people were perceiving these shapes automatically to be people goes some way to provide support for Heiders theory and prove that people are certainly trying to make sense of their social environment. However this, albeit simple use of experimental social psychology, has a few limitations. As this was a simplified experiment and disimilar to what would happen in a real social environment, Heider was not able to prove that the results would be the same outside in real life. In fact, often results obtained outside of the laboratory conclude opposite results to that of the laboratory. There is also a possibility that the participants, upon hearing that they would be attending a psychological experiment, subconciously associated psychology with people or themselves and their answers reflected this. In an experimental condition there will always be confounding variables no matter what measures are taken to eliminate them, it is certainly difficult to take research on perception and attention out of everyday life and into a controlled experiment. In a social environment because people are not manufacturing social situations, people see them as they are, this could put them in good stead to construct rational and logical theories on their environment. What Heiders theory lacks is specific procedures and data. Harold Kelley (1967, as cited in Buchanan et al. , p. 2) who developed the covariation model, used testable predictions and data in his attribution theory. The attribution theories suggest people distinguish between external/disposition factors and internal/disposition factors to recognise the causes of social behaviour. Kelley proposed that when people use information in causal reasoning, three variables are decided upon, distinctiveness, consensus and consistency, this was known as the covariation model. He supported the belief that people behave like intuitive scientists. MacArthur (1972, as cited in Buchanan et al. , p. 4) tested this theory in her studies, she wanted to test the effect of different types and level of information on the nature of causal attributions. She used 16 vignettes, a short description of a behaviour event that contained different types of the three variables, CCD. They then assigned an internal or external cause to the event. The results were supportive of MacArthurs theory and imply that we tend to favour internal rather than external attributions, the FAE (fundamental attribution error). However, it has been proven that people do not use always use all the information available to them. This shows that the way people view risk is not particularly logical, people overlook risk and when comparing people to experts, people do not usually conceptualise risks as well as experts Vignettes are easy to use and provide much needed data and from a large number of participants which is likely to produce more accurate results. The kind of control applied in this study would not have been able to take place if it took place in real life. However they do have low ecological validity because of this very reason, it is still constructed. Attribution theories have also been criticised for overstating the rationality of peoples causal reasoning. When considering the idea of people as intuitive scientists it is important to understand that people can tend to be more optimistic about risk than statistics warrant. This results in optimistic bias. For example, irrespective of empirical evidence, some people think smoking wont harm them. Some people know that they are likely to become ill from it and still continue because the immediate gain overcomes any alternative, albeit potentially deadly. This may be as a result of a motivational source which can result in judgemental biases. There are several explanations for this optimistic bias. The availability heuristic, which involves making decisions based on generating examples in peoples cognitive system, perhaps someone they know who has smoked constantly for 60 years has other any side effects. These are good examples to use when deciphering whether people are intuitive scientists and can make rational and logical judgements because the risk of smoking can be estimated using mathematics. The amount of people that still smoke however is a strong argument that people may be intuitive scientists but the concept of making rational, logical decisions can still be lost if alternative factors get in the way, like smoking or HIV. When people have to make decisions quickly, they often unconsciously rely on incomplete information as a result of the environment in which the social cognition takes place, rather than just the basic cognitive processes, this could account for people rejecting the possibility of HIV leading to death, perhaps because the information they have in incomplete. The fact that people have survived despite this however goes some way to suggest that although peoples cognitive processes do not always lead them to the mathematically correct answer, perhaps that element of risk, optimistic bias and inquisitiveness has prolonged peoples evolution so far. The studies involving optimistic bias and indeed many studies involving how people conceptualise risk however, have been conducted in largely Western cultures and having found previous contradictions between studies in Western cultures, (which tend to focus largely on the individual rather than the social group, as is more popular in many Asian cultures), these theories may not apply to the majority of people and therefore more research entailing diverse cultures would build a more successful conclusion as to why optimistic bias occurs. One reason could be evolution, natural selection could have resulted in humans having evolved with optimistic bias meaning that the people who took the risks were more sexually successful. Another reason for this could that in the urgency of everyday life, people do not use all the information available. One could argue that as we do not process everything we see, we connect the dots based on our rational judgement. The people in many of these experiments drew from their own conclusions and upon their own schema which could be wrong. This kind of error highlights one of the disadvantages of people drawing from their own logical and rational theories. Although it is important to note that the above examples are experiments and the situations are unlikely to occur in everyday life, however research has also shown our schema is highly tuned and usually correct. Both cognitive psychology and experimental social psychology initiate ideas of people thinking in machine ways, operating like scientists but the studies have shown otherwise. Perhaps logical and rational ideas are ideologies and are not appropriate in the context of our own social environments. People, in general tend to perceive events as being more under their own control than they perhaps are, it is clear from these studies that people can sometimes become more optimistic when is comes to risks when comparing the true scientific statistics. From the research into varying theories it appears that the majority of people are intuitive scientists, that to a certain extent people do use logical and rational theories to make sense of their social environment, however these are not always successful. As the evidence of several theories suggests, intuition in people is not always correct. Mistakes are bound to be made, especially when motivation factors overcomes logic and experience and imagination interferes with the process. If people have survived thus far using their own rational and logical judgements than anything further may be seen as striving for improvement, where one could argue, it is unnecessary. Word count 1,503 References K. Buchanan, P. Anand, H. Joffe ; K. Thomas (2007) Perceiving and understanding the social world. In D. Miell, A. Phoenix, ; K. Thomas (Eds. ), Mapping Psychology (2nd ed. , pp. 5-49). Milton Keynes: The Open University

Supporting people to express themselves

Supporting people to express themselves Discuss why it is important to support people to have a voice and express their views with confidence. How could care workers facilitate this? This essay shows why it is important to support people to have a voice and express their views with confidence. In this assignment I will use the case of Suzanne, a social worker who supports Jordan, aged 10 who lives in a foster care home (K101 DVD, The Open University, 2010), to talk about his past and to help Jordan to develop a sense of who he is, his identity and how this can help in developing his feelings of confidence and security. I will also use the cases of Mick and Owen (K101 DVD, The Open University, 2010), who were infected with HIV and will expand my answer with an overview of group support. I will also explain how care workers can facilitate this and the importance of care workers to do this. By expressing our views we are exposing ourselves to others. Our views are a mirror of our knowledge, feelings, thoughts, past or present experiences and everything else from what we are made deep inside, exposing our identity, revealing our individuality. McAdams et al states that â€Å"We are all storytellers, and we are the stories we tell† (cited by Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.32). It is also very important that we do voice our views with confidence, some can do this independently, but some others need help. Children, who grow up in the families they are born into, usually have opportunities to find out about their parents and members of their wider family, the places in which they have lived and the reasons for any changes they have experienced. However, children who experience separation from their birth families often face obstacles when it comes to finding out about their birth families and early background. There may be gaps and painful areas in accounts of their identity, and they may have to work out ways of dealing with difficult memories and emotions (Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.19). The case of Jordan is an example of a child who is not living with his birth parents and needs help to recover his past. Suzanne is using the â€Å"life story work† to facilitate this. Life story work is a method of working with people who for some reason are vulnerable, or who may be going through difficult or challenging life transitions (Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.19). Life story work gives children a structured and understandable way of talking about themselves (Ryan and Walker, 2010, p.34). With her work, Suzanne is helping Jordan, to know better and talk about his past, with factual information from his files, family and carers, correcting wrong perceptions such as why he was moved from his first foster placement and the negative impression about his birth father. Reminiscing about the past is important even from early childhood. Mothers and primary carers deliberately set out to share memories and experiences, thereby helping children to build their own sense of who they are. By the time young people reach adolescence they begin to take control of the stories they tell about themselves. As they emerge from family life and make the first moves towards independent adulthood, they assemble a relatively coherent life story, made up of episodes selected for their significance in helping to define their identity (Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.32). Suzanne also fully involved Jordan to build his life story book, using pictures, drawings and colours and effectively giving Jordan a voice and a way to express his views. Suzanne’s work is helping Jordan to establish his past, to get to know himself better, and to shape his identity with pride, confidence and security, forming an important foundation that Jordan will take into his future. Some of our experiences might have an adverse impact on our lives that affects our own identity. Some of us might find difficulty to discuss openly their identity, and need external help to build enough confidence to do so. This was similar to the cases of Mick and Owen who are haemophiliacs, and became HIV positive after receiving infected blood transfusions. Mick and Owen, who were interview by Sian Edwards, a specialised nurse, both narrate how their lives were conditioned by the stigma that their illness carried, mainly because of poor public awareness of their condition. Both Mick and Owen found it easier to hide this part of their identity and reveal it only to a restricted circle of people. Mick and Owen both explain how they were denied opportunities to speak out about their condition as Owen says â€Å"Because no-one really wanted to understand about my condition†. Sian Edwards work with Mick and Owen was not only important because it gave Mick and Owen a voice to exp ress their views on their condition, and an opportunity to discuss their true identity, but also because their experience is very useful to educate us. Greenhalgh and Hurwitz suggest that hearing how patients telling the story of their condition can provide ‘meaning, context and perspective for the patient’s predicament †¦ a possibility of developing an understanding that cannot be arrived at by any other means’ (cited by Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.37). Mick and Owen had to fight with poor awareness and false perceptions that conditioned most of their lives. The more the public is aware about illnesses and their weight on people who suffer from such illnesses, the more patients finds it easier to open up, and discuss their views with more confidence without fear of being misjudged. The DVD activity itself started with a brief overview of Haemophilia and HIV, which improved my understanding of Mick and Owen’s condition, and the way I followed their case with empathy afterwards. Is not easy for care workers to support people to have a voice and express their views with confidence. In some cases even care workers need assistance from external sources too. A successful method is to involve a number of people who share similar experiences to discuss their feelings together in a group sessions. Professor Doel maintains that â€Å"In one-to-one work, the focus is almost entirely on what is wrong. In groups, members are often seen in a new light, with people’s strengths likely to emerge† (cited by Bornat and Barnes, 2010, p.64). People who have experienced traumatic and difficult events may find it difficult to talk about their experience. Care workers have to be very careful as people, who have experienced traumatic events in their lives, remembering the past may be very difficult and painful, and may evoke emotions that are difficult to deal with. A research by two psychologists found that ex-servicemen gained a great deal from membership of veteran associations which provided practical support as well as a safe context in which to remember dead comrades and talk about their own experiences with others who had had similar experiences (Hunt and Robbins, cited by Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.44 45). Despite the problems that people with difficult memories face, opportunities to talk and to share feelings can be helpful. Talking in groups can help people to regain trust and feelings of shared understanding. Difficult memories become a part of identity. What seems to be important for people with disturbing memories is to be listened to and for their stories and accounts to be recognised and accepted by others (Bornat and Northedge, 2010, p.47). In conclusion, in having voice and expressing our views with confidence, our identity plays the most important part. So far I always taken for granted that everyone had their own identity, but today I learnt that some people may be insecure of their identity because they were never told who they are, others may hide their identity as they fear of being wrongly labelled and a traumatic experience can threaten or undermine people’s ability to sustain or communicate their identity. People who have poor sense of identity may feel, unsecure or uncomfortable among others and may isolate themselves in deep silence. It’s important to people to seek support, as help is available. As I pointed out above, different strategies were used by different professionals to assist people to have a voice and express their views with confidence, from individualised care to group support. Finally I believe that many of us experience episodes when our voice isn’t heard or we couldn’t express our views with confidence. We all feel the frustration and the weakness that this inability brings with, like when we pass through a moment of uncertainty, and we would appreciate even if one good listener helps in. (Word Count 1,412) References Bornat, J. and Northedge, A. (2010) ‘Unit 5: Identities and lives’, K101 ‘Block 2: Working with life experience’, Milton Keynes, The Open University Bornat, J. and Barnes, F. (2010) ‘Unit 6: Group lives’, K101 ‘Block 2: Working with life experience’, Milton Keynes, The Open University Ryan, T. and Walker, R. (2010) ‘6: Why do life story work?’, K101 Resources, Milton Keynes, The Open University McAdams, D.P., Josselson, R. and Lieblich, A. (2006) ‘Introduction’ in McAdams, D.P.,Josselson, R.and Lieblich, A. (eds) Identity and Story: Creating Self in Narrative, Washington, DC, American Psychological Association, p. 3. Greenhalgh, T. and Hurwitz, B. (1999) ‘Why study narrative?’, British Medical Journal, 318, p. 48–50. Doel,M.(2006) ‘All in the same boat’, Community Care,20–26 July, p. 34–5. Hunt, N. and Robbins, I. (2001) ‘World War II veterans, social support and veterans’ associations’, Aging and Mental Health, vol.5, no. 2, p. 175–82. TMA 03 – Part B Care Skills: Barriers to Communication – Based on Andrew Rodger’s case. PHYSICAL Andrew opts to communicate a private message to Rodger in a public place, where other people could overhear the discussion in full. This has bar Andrew from delivering sensitive information with a more sympathetic approach. Disability and impairment Roger is hard of hearing; he also seems to not recall his memories well. EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS Rodger indicates that he is an uneasy position and far from comfortable to have this conversation with Andrew. Rodger expresses these feelings by withdrawing and rejecting Andrew’s attempts to talk. (Word Count 86) TMA 03 – Part C Self-Reflective Notes Even in this occasion, I struggled to compile the essay using material from block 2, and keeping relevant to the question asked. The main difficulty was to adapt material that covered identity, past experiences, etc. and use it to answer a question about supporting people to have a voice and express their views with confidence. Found it a bit tricky. (Word Count 60) Page 1

Advantages of Business Strategies

Advantages of Business Strategies Strategy is the direction an scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging business environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. Business strategy: Business strategy is the only driving force behind any successful business since it builds the foundation for the same. The business strategy is not just a statement of intent or a mere speech. Their scope is not just limited to the management. There are different strategies as per the business and the best one among them must be chosen which can fulfil the needs of the organisation and emends of a rapidly changing world for revolutionary business strategies. It must also be able to handle the internal pressure of the organisation when the plan is being executed. How can the business perform better than the competition in those markets? (Advantage) What external, environmental factors affect the businesses ability to compete? (Environment) Where is the business trying to get to in the long-term (direction?) What resources (skills, assets, finance, relationships, technical competence, and facilities) are required in order to be able to compete? (Resources) Which markets should a business compete in and what kind of activities is involved in such markets? (Markets; scope) Strategy at Different Levels of a Business? What are the values and expectations of those who have power in and around the business? (Stakeholders) Definition of business environment: Strategy is the direction and scope of an organisation over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organisation through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfil stakeholder expectations. http://tutor2u.net/business/strategy/what_is_strategy.htm Why study the business environment: In each and every organisation there is some relation with business environment, each and every type of business is surrounded with environment directly or indirectly. Business environment is surrounding with its customers and stakeholders and it have of political as well as legal forces this all together makes business environment, in order to achieve profit and also to fulfil the stakeholder expectation a business has to change its environment as per market need. The organisation which understood the business environment and make necessary changes according to the environment succeed in business in terms of profit and needs of stake holders. On the hand the business which does not changes according to the environment leads to failure of the business, so for each and every organisation business environment, Is really important. Different level of business strategy: In each and every organisation strategy is used at different levels of company among them the following is the modern levels strategy is being employed by organisatation. Corporate strategy: This strategy is considered and completely influence by stakeholder needs. At this level fundamental decision about future direction of an organisation with the purpose to fulfil the needs of stakeholders at this level strategy is done by considering the stakeholders because they are the only one who invest in the organisation so the corporate strategy is or related stakeholder expectations Business unit strategy: This levels of strategy is completely focused on how a business competes in a particular targeted market, it concerns strategic decision in relation to product, meeting needs of the customers , taking benefit over competitor and employing strategy related to business operation and creating new opportunities for business. This is the only level which directly influences with the customers in respect to corporate strategy. Operational strategy: This level f organisation is concerned with how every part of the business is organized to fulfil the needs of corporate and business unit level strategy direction. Its major focuses on the issues related to recourses and processes. this level is also employing strategy related to people and surrounding of business. Key elements of marketing strategic decision Main body: In each and every organisation Business environment have existence by knowingly or unknowingly because it cannot exist without an environment. The process of strategy management is basically divided into two major environment and they are Microenvironment and Macro-environment. In the challenging business environment this are two main aspect that influences each and every businesses which are also known as inner environment (micro environment) which have direct effect or relation with the business for example: customer. And outer environments (macro environment) which have indirect effect on the business for example: political factor. There is an very clear indication that influences of environment or speeding up in the market so the organisation have to take it seriously consideration as the company who had taken its seriously had succeeded in the market and the organisation ignored its had failed in the market, both the major type and its factor of influences are briefly described as under. Macro environment (Outer environment): The political environment: Politicians have instrumental in shaping general nature of external environment and being responsible for the legalization of rules and regulation that affects specific type of organisation, at very general level the stability of political system affects the business and strategy so the organisation has to change its strategy according to the legal matters otherwise it can indirectly affects the business and its activities The social and culture environment: The organisation is also being affected by its social and culture environment as the generation are also changing so the business environment has to be change according to the changing social needs, it is crucial for the business to fully appreciate the culture values of the society because if a business is doing its business in another country which is quite different from its own than there the attitude towards the product is different as compare to its own country, so for an organisation it is really important to consider the social and culture environment of the country where its doing business. The demographic environment: As population is growing day by day the size and the age is also going so in respect to this demographic environment changes the organisation has to change its strategy towards the stocks and prediction of the market because most organisation are dealing with the product which they have to keep ready in advance by predicting the future of sales The technology environment: As this is new era of business so the organisation have to overcome with new and latest technology because in this environment as technology is outdated the product is out of the market, so the organisation has update its technology within a time period, because once thrown out of the market and to get again the same position in the market it take a long time so this environments is really important and being speedily changes. Economic: Business and Economy are highly inter related. Businesses cannot be successful in an economy on decline and if businesses are not doing well it is highly unlikely for the economy to boom. For ex Lehman brothers, this was the fast company to get doomed because of economic crisis. Legal: Legality means doing whatever the law permits. Same applies for business also. Business strategies and operations are permissible as long as they are legal. Business needs to function within the legislative limits. Business not only needs to comply with the existing legislations but also the changes in them. (strategy management peter Fitzroy/James Hulbert) Micro environment (Inner environment) Employees: In running each and every organisation employees are must to carry out day to day business activities and they are the one who deals with other parties of the business on behalf of the business as they are having direct effect to the business they falls under microenvironment Customers: Customer are a crucial part of an organisation in microenvironment its really simple no customer means no business. An organisation should be seriously consider about the changing requirement of the customer, because in challenging business environment everybody are targeting the customer so this factor of micro environment is really important for each and every organisation Supplier: The supplier provides an organisation with goods and services than is being transformed by the organisation and by adding value to it than further sold to its customer this factor of microenvironment is also important because if there is not proper supply and there is no product and in challenging business environment the product service should be fast as well as quick Competitor: In challenging business environment there is high rate of competition in the market so its very important to keep updating the strategy of the competitor and try to understand their strategy like their future moves their future product this is also an important microenvironment in such a challenging business environment. Financial organization: This financial environment is consist of both shareholder and the investor which support the organisation and they are timely being reassured about the achievement of goals both short and long term because if they dont trust the company than they might take their investment back from the organisation and which effects the a lot to the business. The government: The demands of government agencies are also consider of microenvironment commercial organisation provides government with taxation and revenue so the organisation has to in touch with the government policy in relation to their tax and regulation and can make their strategy according to the changes of the regulation so the organisation has to take careful consideration of this environment also Internal environment: Internal environment is very important part of any business environment and include finance, marketing, production, personnel and RD. These elements are considered to be within the organisation. The most important job of an internal environment is developing strategies for an organisation management process. Is also focuses on the point that the organisation should always have a well trained staff to do a right job at the right time since they are the biggest asset of any organisation and also they are directly related to most important thing of any business i.e. customers. It also focuses on the point that business strategies should always change with the changing need of the customers. Critical Evaluation SWOT ANAYSIS: How NOKIA uses SWOT analysis to determine internal factors and external factors. Strengths: (INTERNAL) The largest cell phone vendor by far, with almost doubles the market share of nearest competitor. The product being user friendly and have all the accessories one want that is why is in great demand making it No-1 selling mobile phones in the world. One of the top 20 brands in the world The re-sell value of Nokia phones are high compared to other companys product Weakness: (INTERNAL) The price of the mobile phones offered by the company. The service centers in India are very few as compared to the number of users and therefore after sales service are not good. Slow to adopt new ways of thinking . Opportunities: (EXTERNAL) Telecommunication growth in India being at the peak time, Nokia has an opportunity to increase its sales as well as the market share. Make a significant position in the cdma market. New growth markets where cell phone adoption still to come. Threats: (EXTERNAL) The threats like emerging of other big mobile companies such as Motorola, Sony Eriksson, etc in the market. The growing demand of WLL network Late in the entry of 3G market. How Acer uses Porters 5 Forces as an analytical tool to determine strategy and success over its competitors Threat of substitutes: Acer face that from rival dell who can provide the same goods and value and sell at a much lesser price, as there is a threat from consumer to switch to alternatives, this could force Acer to reduce its product price and income to struggle with other markers Bargaining power of suppliers: The exact for suppliers to retailers is that is they pay a helpful price for its supplies, and would not sell to retailers if the price quoted was not paid, then the suppliers would not sell its goods of them. Since Acer having a market share from other company as well as small shop keepers, has an advantage to dictate the price the suppliers will be paid for their goods, thus if supplier do not tend to decrease price, it is clear that they would be left with a smaller market share to sell their product. Power of consumers: Due to a large competition in the electronic market industry, it has forced markets to switch to low product cost in order to attract more buyers, thus more power favoritism the buyers, in order to achieve more customers and trade with struggle is more victorious to customer preservation, and has also led to increase in profits. And customer wants lower price and service, better choices. Threat to new entrants: Due to high market share of company like Acer, Dell, Sony which has to led to barriers for new markets to enter competition, since most of these markets lower prices of their goods in order to win a better client care, pays a much lesser which would buy less goods at a better rate. Thus Acer also has an upper hand on economies of scale How Mc Donalds uses PESTEL as a strategy to overcome challenges and gain advantages over its competitors. Political: All the international operations of Mc Donalds are as per the policies enforced by the individual governments. On the other hand, the company is controlled by the individual policies and regulations of operations. like any business venture, these McDonalds stores have to contend with the issues of employment procedures as well as their tax obligations so as to succeed in the foreign market. Economical: Food chains like Mc Donalds do have their individual concerns involving economic factors. Their Branches and franchises have the tendency to experience hardship in instances where the economy of the respective states is hit by inflation and changes in the exchange rates. Their problem depends on the response of the consumers on these fundamentals and how it could influence their general sales. Exchange rate fluctuations also play a significant role in the operations of the company. The companies also have to consider the economic standing of the state on which they operate on. Socio-Cultural: The organisation improves on establishing a positive mind-set from their core consumers. McDonalds indulge a particular variety of consumers with definite types of personalities. In 2005 McDonalds has launched a sensibly valued set of food that tenders a reliable level of quality for the respective market where it operates. Technical: McDonalds generates a demand for their own products. The companys key tool for marketing is by means of television advertisements. The companys marketing is also done through toys and play spots. The operations of McDonalds have significantly been infused with new technology. Elements like the inventory system and the management of the value chain of the company allows for easy payments for their suppliers. The integration of technology in the operations of McDonalds tend to add value to their products. Legal: The reputation of McDonalds is apparently a huge matter and with the opposition to the fast food industry Mc Donalds apply a more consideration on their corporate social responsibilities. The company has provided their customers the relevant data that they need with reference to the nutritional substances of their products. This is to attend to the arguments of obesity charged against the products of the company. Environment: Mc Donalds employ of non-biodegradable substances for their drinks glasses and Styrofoam coffers for the meals. The social responsibilities of McDonalds on the state are influential to the operations of the company. These entail accusations of environmental damage. (http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/02/pestle-analysis-of-mcdonalds.html) Ethics: Strategic management must also ensure ethical values i.e. personal values and fairness. Many of the organisations around the world are not following this and hence they have to face the problem in the future. A commitment to transparency is necessary with greater communication and sharing of information within the firm. Strategic management is also about meeting the share holders expectation and capturing the full potential of the firm. It also takes into consideration the future perspective of the strategy. It also includes an alternative if in case the plan does not work. In short Strategic management is not an easy task if properly implemented. .(strategy management peter Fitzroy/James Hulbert) STAKEHOLDERS AND ORGANIZATIONAL VALUE: 1. Shareholders: They are one of the important factors in micro-environment because they all the one who had given capital in the company so in order to make their expectation the stakeholders are being received by the short term and long term goal in challenging business environment they are one of the important factors of environment. Conclusion and Recommendation: A sound corporate strategy is the best way to ensure for the organization to create value for stakeholders and to unify the business activities to meet the organizational objective. Successful companies have gone through successive incremental strategic changes that were appropriate at the time. Thus it is imperative that trade-offs are essential to any successful strategic decisions. Most companies owe their success to the unique strategic position derived from strategic management of behavior, operation and critical rationally scanning of the business environment. It enables the company to take assessment of the current position, analyze and prepare for the future. Strategy provides a structure for decision making and enables organizations meet the requirement of the stakeholders by pattern of the available resources. Use of Strategic Analytical tools like few discussed above empower organizations to take picture of their current place and optimize their resources to achieve competitive position. Businesses cannot afford to overlook their environment. All its income, opportunities, perspective, problems are factors of its environment. Strategy cannot be formulated with taking into account environmental influences. positive monitoring of the environment and incorporating the environmental trends provides the frame for optimizing opportunities and configuration of resources to achieve the business objective. References: Richard lunch, corporate strategy4th edition, Pearson education ltd.Page no. 2-5. Peter Fitzry, strategy management, John wiley sons ltd. page no.40-50 http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/2009/02/pestle-analysis-of-mcdonalds.html Adrian palmer Bob Hartley, The Business environment fifth edition, published by Mc-Graw-Hill Education. Johnson. G, Scholes. K, and Whittington. R. (2008).Exploring Corporate Strategy. 8th ed. London: Prentice Hall. pg7. Lynch, R. (2009), Strategic Management, 5th ed. London, FT Prentice Hall.

Tablet PC Essay -- Technology Computers

TABLET PCs Combines Simplicity of Paper with Full Power of Windows-Based Computing For the past few years, the Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) has grown tremendously popular. However, due to size restrictions, it has always served as a secondary device to the desktop computer. So a number of hardware manufacturers unveiled a new form of communication, the Tablet PC. What exactly is a Tablet PC? It is a notebook PC with a touch-sensitive screen and is a bit larger than the size of a sheet of paper. Tablet PCs will have two formats: the "convertible" model with an integrated keyboard and a display that rotates 180 degrees that can be folded down over the keyboard, and the "slate" style with a removable keyboard. It allows users to save their written input either as images or as converted text. It is very similar to a PDA, only larger and more powerful, and weighs less than today's laptops yet is fully configured for PC operations and Internet applications. By combining the best qualities of a PDA and laptop, the Tablet PC can be used in applications where a lap top would be too bulky, and a PDA would not be powerful enough. In the past, field service workers with mobile devices tended to have only one application on their device. With the Tablet PC operating system, they can connect and use many more applications. A long-cherished goal for technology visionaries and computer designers, the Tablet PC will represent the next major evolution in PC design and functionality. While retaining the full power to run all existing Windows-based software applications, the Tablet PC expands enterprise computing to address previously unmet needs, such as the ability to take notes at meetings, annotate existing electronic documents and ... ...ning up businesses to the world, the use of a Tablet PC will be even more beneficial when sharing information across continental lines. The Tablet PC platform has established itself as one of the computer industry’s most promising innovations. Free from cables and keyboard, the Tablet PC provides a compact, easily portable device which is both stylish and ultimately practical. It has all the power to run common productivity applications anywhere and all the graphics performance to maximize the Internet experience. Moreover, with the widespread and increasing adoption of WLAN connection technology, Internet browsing and e-mail are becoming more accessible. Although at the moment, the Tablet PC technology is still in its infancy, the ever improving technology will make Tablet PCs more user friendly and practical which brings us one step closer to a paperless society.

Edmund Kemper:Co-ed Killer :: essays research papers fc

The TV program â€Å"MUGSHOTS† uses the testimony of authorities that worked the case along with interviews with Kemper himself as to what was happening throughout the case from both sides of the story. The product of a broken and abusive home, Edmund Kemper grew up timid and resentful, with a perception of his own inadequacy. Before the age of ten, Kemper graduated to living targets, burying the family cat alive and subsequently cutting off its head, returning with the gruesome trophy to his room, where it was placed on proud display despite his tender age, he brooded over fantasies of love and sex, with violence playing an inevitable role. One afternoon, discussing Edmund's childish crush upon a grade-school teacher, Kemper's sister asked him why he did not simply kiss the woman. Kemper answered, deadpan, "If I kiss her, I would have to kill her first." A second family cat fell victim to his urges; this one hacked with a machete, pieces of the carcass hidden in his closet until his mother accidentally discovered them. Kemper's mother first packed him off to live with her estranged husband, and then - after running away - the boy was delivered to his paternal grandparents , residing on a remote California ranch. There, in August 1963, fourteen-year-old Kemper shot his grandmother with a .22-caliber rifle, afterward stabbing her body repeatedly with a kitchen knife. When his grandfather came home, Kemper shot the old man as well, leaving him dead in the yard. Interrogated by authorities, Kemper could only say "I just wondered how it would feel to shoot Grandma." Motiveless violence displayed in his actions got Kemper committed to the state's maximum-security hospital in Atascadero. In 1969, a 21-year-old behemoth grown to six-foot-nine and some 300 pounds, Kemper was paroled to his mother's custody over the objections of the state psychiatrists. During Kemper's enforced absence, his mother had settled in Santa Cruz, a college town whose population boasted thousands of attractive co-eds. For the next two years, through 1970 and '71, Kemper bided his time, holding odd jobs and cruising the highways in his leisure time, picking up dozens of you ng female hitchhikers, refining his approach, his "line," until, he knew that he could put them totally at ease. Some evenings, he would frequent a saloon patronized by off-duty policemen, rubbing shoulders with the law and soaking up their tales of crime, becoming friendly with a number of detectives who would later be assigned to track him down.

The Return: Shadow Souls Chapter 19

Damon wouldn't have thought a sadistic old fool who whipped a woman to pieces for not being able to pull a cart meant for a horse would have any friends. And Old Drohzne, indeed, may not have had any. But that wasn't the issue. Neither, strangely, was murder the issue. Murder was an everyday affair around the slums and the fact that Damon had initiated and won a fight was of no surprise to the inhabitants of these dangerous alleyways. The issue lay in making off with a slave. Or perhaps it went deeper. The issue lay in how Damon treated his own slaves. A crowd of men – all men, no women, Damon noticed – had indeed gathered in front of the doctor's building, and they did in fact have torches. â€Å"Mad vampire! Mad vampire on the loose!† â€Å"Drive him out here for justice to be done!† â€Å"Burn the place down if they won't turn him out!† â€Å"The elders say to bring him to them!† This seemed to have the effect the crowd desired, clearing the streets of the more decent people and leaving only the bloody-minded sort who'd been hanging about at a loose end, and were only too glad of a fight. Most of them, of course, were vampires themselves. Most of them were fit vampires. But none of them, Damon thought, flashing a diamond-bright smile around the circle that was closing in on him, had the motivation of knowing that the lives of three young human girls depended on him – and that one of them was the jewel in the crown of humanity, Elena Gilbert. If he, Damon, was torn to pieces in this fight, those three girls would lead lives of hell and degradation. However, even this logic didn't seem to help him prevail as Damon was kicked, bitten, head-butted, punched, and stabbed with wooden daggers – the kind that slice vampire flesh. At first he thought he had a chance. Several of the youngest and fittest vampires fell prey to his cobra-quick strikes and his sudden strafes of Power. But the truth was that there were simply too many of them, Damon thought, as he snapped the neck of a demon whose two long tusks had already scored his arm almost through the muscle. And here came a huge vampire, clearly in training, with an aura that made Damon feel bile at the back of his throat. That one went down with a foot in the face, but he didn't stay down; he came up, clinging to Damon's leg and allowing several smaller vampires with wooden daggers to dart in and hamstring him. Damon felt black dismay as his legs went out from under him. â€Å"Sunlight damn you,† he grated through a mouthful of blood as another tusked, red-skinned demon punched him in the mouth. â€Å"Damn you all to the lowest hells†¦.† It was no good. Dully, still fighting, still using great swaths of Power to maim and kill as many as he could, Damon realized this. And then everything became dreamlike and dazed – not like his dream of Elena, whom he seemed to see constantly in his side-eye, weeping. But dreamlike in a feverish, nightmare sense. He could no longer use his muscles efficiently. His body was battered and even as he healed his legs, another vampire scored a great cut across his back. He was feeling more and more as if he were in a nightmare where he could not move except in slow motion. At the same time, something in his brain was whispering for him to rest. Just rest†¦and it would all be over. Eventually, the greater numbers bore him down, and somebody appeared with a stake. â€Å"Good riddance to new rubbish,† the stake bringer said, his breath reeking of stale blood, his leering face grotesque, as he used leprous-looking fingers to open Damon's shirt so as not to make a hole in the fine black silk. Damon spat on him and had his face stamped on hard in return. He blacked out for a moment and then, slowly, came back to pain. And noise. The gleeful crowd of vampires and demons, drunk on cruelty, were all doing a stomping, rhythmic, improvised dance around Damon, roaring with laughter as they thrust imaginary stakes, working themselves into a frenzy. That was when Damon realized that he was actually going to die. It was a shocking realization, even though he'd known how much more dangerous this world was than the one he'd recently left, and even in the human world he had only escaped death by a hairsbreadth more than once. But now he had no powerful friends, no weaknesses in the crowd to exploit. He felt as if seconds were suddenly stretching into minutes, each one of incalculable worth. What was important? Telling Elena†¦ â€Å"Blind him first! Get that stick blazing!† â€Å"I'll take his ears! Someone help me hold his head!† Telling Elena†¦something. Something†¦sorry†¦ He gave up. Another thought was trying to break into his consciousness. â€Å"Don't forget to knock out his teeth! I promised my girlfriend a new necklace!† I thought I was prepared for this, Damon thought slowly, each word coming separately. But†¦not so soon. I thought I'd made my peace†¦but not with the one person who mattered†¦yes, who mattered the most. He didn't give himself time to think about that subject further. Stefan, he sent out on the most powerful but clandestine jettison of Power he could manage in his foggy state. Stefan, hear me! Elena's come for you – she'll save you! She has Powers that my death will let loose. And I am†¦I am†¦s – At that moment there was a stumbling in the dance around him. Silence descended on the drunken revelers. A few of them hastily bowed their heads or looked away. Damon went still, wondering what could possibly have stopped the frenzied crowd in the very midst of their revelry. Someone was walking toward him. The newcomer had long bronze hair that hung in separate unruly tangles down to his waist. He was naked to the waist, too, exposing a body that the strongest demon might envy. A chest that looked as if it had been carved out of gleaming bronze stone. Exquisitely sculpted biceps. Abs – a perfect six pack. There was not a spare ounce of fat on his entire tall leonine frame. He wore unadorned black trousers with muscles rippling under them at every step. All along one bare arm he had a vivid tattoo of a black dragon eating a heart. Nor was he alone. He held no leash, but by his side was a handsome and uncannily intelligent-looking black dog that stood at alert attention every time he paused. It must have weighed close to two hundred pounds, but there was not an ounce of fat on it, either. And on one shoulder he carried a large falcon. It wasn't hooded as most hunting birds were on forays out of their mews. It also wasn't standing on anything padded. It gripped the bare shoulder of the bronze young man, digging its three front talons into the flesh and sending small streams of blood down his chest. He didn't seem to notice. There were similar, dried streams beside the fresh ones, undoubtedly from previous journeys. In the back, a single talon made a lonely red trail. An absolute hush had fallen on the crowd and the last few demons between the tall man and the bloody, supine figure on the ground scrambled out of his way. For a moment, the leonine man was still. He said nothing, did nothing, emitted no trace of Power. Then he nodded at the dog, which padded forward heavily and sniffed at Damon's bleeding arms and face. After that it sniffed at his mouth and Damon could see the hairs go up on its body. â€Å"Good dog,† said Damon dreamily as the moist, cool nose tickled his cheek. Damon knew this particular animal and he knew also that it did not fit the popular stereotype of a â€Å"good dog.† Rather, it was a hellhound who was used to taking vampires by the throat and shaking them until their arteries spouted blood six feet high into the air. That kind of thing could keep you so occupied that having a stake slipped into your heart might seem an afterthought, Damon mused, holding perfectly still. â€Å"Arrtez-le!† said the bronze-haired youth. The dog obediently backed off, never taking its shining black eyes off Damon's, who never took his own eyes off it until it was some feet away. The bronze-haired youth glanced over the crowd briefly. Then he said with no particular vehemence, â€Å"Laissez-le seul.† Clearly, to the vampires no translation was necessary, and they began to edge away immediately. The unlucky ones were those who didn't edge fast enough and were still around when the bronze young man took another leisurely look about him. Everywhere he looked, he met downcast eyes and cringing bodies, frozen in the act of edging but apparently turned to stone now in an attempt not to attract attention. Damon found himself relaxing. His Power was returning, allowing him to make repairs. He realized that the dog was going from individual to individual and sniffing at each one with interest. When Damon was able to lift his head again, he smiled faintly at the newcomer. â€Å"Sage. Think of the devil.† The bronze man's brief smile was grim. â€Å"You compliment me, mon cher. You see? I'm blushing.† â€Å"I ought to have known you might be here.† â€Å"There is infinite space to wander, mon petit tyran. Even if I must do it alone.† â€Å"Ah, the pity. Tiny violins are playing – † Suddenly Damon couldn't do it anymore. He just couldn't. Maybe it was because of being with Elena before. Maybe it was because this hideous world depressed him unutterably. But when he spoke again, his voice was entirely different. â€Å"I never knew I could feel so grateful. You've saved five lives, though you don't know it. Though how you stumbled on us†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Sage crouched down, looked at him with concern. â€Å"What is it that has happened?† he said in a serious voice. â€Å"Is it that you hit your head? You know: news travels fast here. I heard you arrived with a harem – â€Å" â€Å"That's true! He did!† Damon's ears caught a bare whisper of sound at the edge of the street where he'd been ambushed. â€Å"If we take the girls hostage – torture them – â€Å" Sage's eyes met Damon's briefly. Clearly, he had heard the whisper as well. â€Å"Saber,† he said to the dog. â€Å"Just the speaker.† He jerked his head, once, in the direction of the whisper. Instantly, the black dog jumped forward, and faster than it took for Damon to describe it in his own mind, had sunk his teeth into the throat of the whisperer, flipped him over once, causing a distinctive crack, and was bounding back, dragging the body between his legs. The words: Je vous ai inform au sujet de ceci! blasted by on a surge of Power that made Damon wince. And Damon thought, yes, he did tell them before – but not what the consequences would be. Laissez lui et ses amis dans la paix! Meanwhile, Damon was slowly getting up, only too glad to accept Sage's protection for himself and his friends. â€Å"Well that certainly should have done it,† he said. â€Å"Why not come back and have a friendly drink with me?† Sage peered at him as if he'd gone mad. â€Å"You know the answer to that is no.† â€Å"Why not?† â€Å"I told you: no.† â€Å"That's not a reason.† â€Å"The reason I will not come back for a friendly drink†¦mon ange†¦is that we are not friends.† â€Å"We pulled some pretty scams together.† â€Å"Il y a longtemps.† Abruptly, Sage took one of Damon's hands. There was a deep and bloody scratch on it, which Damon hadn't got around to healing. Under Sage's gaze it closed, the flesh turned pink, and it healed. Damon let Sage continue to hold the hand for a moment, and then, not ungently, retrieved it. â€Å"Not such a very long time ago,† he said. â€Å"Away from you?† A sarcastic smile formed on Sage's lips. â€Å"We count time very differently, you and I, mon petit tyran.† Damon was full of befuddled cheer. â€Å"What's one drink?† â€Å"Along with your harem?† Damon tried to picture Meredith and Sage together. His mind balked. â€Å"But you've made yourself responsible for them anyway,† he said flatly. â€Å"And the truth is that none of them are mine. I give my word on that.† He felt a twinge when he thought about Elena, but his word was true. â€Å"Responsible for them?† Sage seemed to be reasoning it out. â€Å"You pledged to save them, then. But I only inherit your pledge if you die. But if you die†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The tall man made a helpless gesture. â€Å"You have to live, to save Stefan and Elena and the others.† â€Å"I'd say no, but that would make you unhappy. So I'll say yes – † â€Å"And if you don't perform, I swear I'll come back to haunt you.† Sage regarded him for a moment. â€Å"I don't think I've ever been accused of being unable to perform before,† he said. â€Å"But of course that was before I became un vampire.† Yes, Damon thought, the meeting of the â€Å"harem† and Sage was bound to be interesting. At least it would be if the girls discovered who Sage really was. But maybe no one would tell them.

Quality Management and Six Sigma Essay

Describe the evolution of quality from the early 20th century through the Japanese post-World War II, to the â€Å"Quality revolution† in the U. S. and elsewhere in the 1980’s through the early 21st Century. Identify the underlying forces to the ‘quality revolution’. Explain the role of the quality ‘gurus’ including Walter Shewhart, Joseph Juran, W. Edwards Deming Early Twentieth Century Inspection was the primary means of quality control during the first half of the twentieth century Separate the planning function from execution function Managers/engineers plan and supervisors/workers execute Bell system was very popular up until this time Production organizations created separate quality departments, lead upper managers to believe quality is responsibility of the quality department and turned focus to quantity/efficiency 1980’s Henry Ford developed â€Å"total quality practices† once he visited Japan in 1982 Japanese constantly referred to â€Å"the book† which had become Japan’s industrial bible and helped Ford Motor Company realize how it had strayed from principles over the years Walter Shewhart Western Electric Group leader Created era of statistical quality control (SQC), application of statistical methods for controlling quality Goes beyond inspection to focus on identifying/eliminating problems that cause defects Used by military in WWII to determine quality standards for suppliers Post-World War II Large shortage of civilian goods in the US made production a top priority Most companies still thought of quality for a specialist, used mass inspection Dr. Joseph Juran and Dr. Edwards Deming Introduced statistical quality control techniques to the Japanese post-WWII Significant part of educational activity was focused on upper management rather than quality specialists alone Got support of top management to integrate quality throughout organization and developed a culture of continuous improvement. By 1970’s Japanese began to heavily penetrate Western markets U. S. â€Å"Quality Revolution† Decade of the 1980s major change in how quality is looked at in a company Deming aired â€Å"If Japan Can†¦ Why Can’t We? † After the television show manufacturers began to ask for his health 1984 the US made October National Quality Month By 1990’s quality drove nearly every organization’s quest for success Organizations began to share knowledge through books and new quality awards were established Underlying Forces Of The Revolution 1970s global competition and appearance of higher-quality foreign products on the market lead U. S> consumers to consider purchasing decisions more carefully Large differences in quality between Japanese and U. S. made products so demand for high quality/reliability in goods at a fair price went up List and describe the seven contemporary forces identified by ASQ that will influence the future of quality Defining quality – describe the various dimensions of quality – including formal definitions of quality: transcendent quality, product-, user- and value-based quality, fitness for use, conformance to specifications and meeting or exceeding customer expectations. Show visually the quality perspectives. Identify the definition of quality to individual divisions in a corporation – e. g. , sales, marketing, supply chain, operations, distribution, etc. Judgment/Transcendent Perspective Defines quality as â€Å"the goodness of a product† Firms with this perspective wish to use quality as an image variable in the minds of their consumers Provides little value to mangers for decision making Product-Based Perspective â€Å"Quality is a function of a specific, measurable variable and that differences in quality reflect differences in quantity of some product attribute, such as number of stiches per inch† Essentially means a greater amount of product features leads to higher quality and ability to charge a higher price User-Based Perspective Defines quality based on the fact that quality is determined by what the customer requires All individuals are different and thus have different perspectives of quality Defined as â€Å"fitness for intended us, or how well the product performs its intended function. † Product needs to perform what it is marketed to do Value-Based Perspective â€Å"A quality product is one that is as useful as competing products and is sold at a lower price, or one that offers greater usefulness or satisfaction at a comparable price. † Ex: Buying a generic product like Roundy’s bread over Wonder bread for cheaper Perspective often requires competitor analysis, leads benchmarking to become essential to a firm using this perspective Manufacturing-Based Perspective â€Å"The desirable outcome of engineering and manufacturing practice, or conformance to specifications. † Specifications are determined by designers of the products/services and acts as basis for definition of quality Aim to conform to these specifications every time to ensure consistency SEE FIGURE Describe the movement of quality as a management framework through Feigenbaum’s total quality and the movement to TQM and TQ TQ is people-focused management system that aims at continual increase in customer satisfaction at continually lower real cost. Total system approach (not separate functions) Fegenbaum recognized importance of a comprehensive organizational approach to quality in the 1950s and coined the term total quality control Japanese adopted it and named it companywide quality control List the three key principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) 1. A focus on customers and stakeholders.